Thank you!

Thank you for entrusting your children to St. Barnabas School. The positive energy in our hallways is infectious, and we look forward to all the incredible experiences, academic growth, and lasting friendships that will develop this year. Being part of a supportive and inclusive school community is a wonderful gift. Thank you to our students for showing up with positivity and enthusiasm. Thank you to parents, guardians, and caregivers for helping with all the back-to-school details, settling first-day jitters, and loving your children. Thank you to our teachers, administrative team, facilities team, and parish staff for their tireless efforts in support of Catholic education and our students. It’s a great day to be a Buckeye!

Regular Schedule Begins Monday

On Monday, we will begin our regular schedule. Our doors open each day at 7:45am, and the tardy bell rings at 7:55am. Full-day preschool students are dismissed at 2:50pm (10:50am for half-day). Kindergarten - Grade 8 students are dismissed by homeroom in a staggered exit from 2:55pm - 3pm. Occasional early dismissals 11:50am & 1:30pm are noted on the calendar. Any student still on campus at 3:05pm (2:55pm for Preschool), without parental or caregiver observation, will be sent to After Care. 

First School Mass, Tuesday

Please join us on Tuesday at 8:45am in the Church for our first weekly school Mass. All students in Grades 1- 8 celebrate Mass as a school each week, and our Preschool and Kindergarten students will join us in a few months. The mass is an opportunity to connect with our faith and rejoice as a school community, and we love it when parents and grandparents can join us.

Due Dates!

The Student Data “green sheet” from your Information Sunday Family Packet is due next Friday, August 29. Please review and verify that all information we have on file is correct, and then sign and return to school with your child - Attention: Mrs. Sue Connolly, Main Office. The Family Authorization is now past due. If you did not submit, please do so this weekend.

School Calendar 

To help manage our busy school calendar, we divide it into a few sections. The calendar is visible on the homepage of our website and also linked in the Calendar and News section. These detailed calendars are also linked at the top calendar portion of School News each week.

• School Events - daytime events for students and evening and weekend events for parents (and students).
• Athletics - Only games are listed here; practice times for individual teams are managed directly by the coaches within the TeamSnap app. Check out the schedule and come cheer on our Buckeyes!
• Student Activities - Student enrichment classes and clubs are detailed here.

A one-page overview of the year can also be found on our website.

Student Support Plan Meetings

If your child has a Student Support Plan (IEP or 504) and you have not been in contact with Mrs. O'Donnell to kick off the school year, please email studentsupport@stbarnabasparish.org to set up an initial meeting.

Meal Manage

Optional hot lunch for students in Kindergarten - Grade 8 (and milk for Preschool) will begin on Tuesday, September 2. Lunch must be pre-ordered and pre-paid online by families through their MealManage online account. Orders should be placed by Thursday night for the week ahead. Learn more about hot lunch.

Extended Day Begins Next Week

Before and After care for students begins on Monday. All students utilizing care must be pre-registered. Program details and enrollment can be found here.

Don't Forget to Order Last Year's Yearbook

The deadline to order the 2024-2025 yearbook is next week. Please don't forget if you'd like to secure this special keepsake. Order here.

Big Bucks

Our annual Big Bucks Raffle is underway, and the $50,000 Grand Prize drawing will take place at the Parish Fall Fest on September 27. Each family received their three tickets in the Info Sunday Family Packets. Be sure to return your ticket stubs by Wednesday, September 3, at 3pm for a chance at our Early Bird Drawing (five chances to win $1,000!) at our Back to School Night for Parents.

Help us reach our 2,000-ticket goal by sharing the Give Central purchase link. Please text it, email it, or share it via social media! Anyone who sells at least ten tickets (including your required three assigned tickets) will be invited to our Sellers Reception and entered into an additional Sellers Raffle with an opportunity to win $2,000. Learn more and connect with one of our ticket captains if you're interested in buying (or selling) more tickets.

FSA - Looking for Members!

The Family School Association (FSA) is a volunteer parent/guardian organization similar to a traditional PTA. They provide fun events for students and parents and help to coordinate volunteers and fundraising efforts that support the school. Have you served on the FSA before and are interested in continuing your service? Are you new to the school and want to learn more? Have you been at the school for a few years and would like to join this meaningful group? Complete the FSA Interest Form.

Thank you to the numerous parents who have already submitted the interest form. We will continue to gather names and reach out to all in early September so we can begin making plans for the year ahead!

Activities

Student Activities - As we look to build the Executive Board and parent volunteers of the FSA, the After-School Enrichment programs will transition largely to be school-managed. On the Activities page of our website, you'll find details and registration links for some of the programs that are about to begin: Choir, Irish Dance, and Run Like a Cheetah. We will continue to roll out additional clubs in the coming months and will post new offerings on our website and share in the newsletter. Keep an eye out for details about: Yoga, Chess, SEL: Social Emotional Learning (Girls in Grades 4 - 7), Academic Team (Grades 6 - 8), and Public Speaking (Grades 6 - 8). Learn more and register!

Adventure Guides and Blackhawk Princesses - All families are invited to join the Adventure Guides Father-Son group or Blackhawk Princesses Father-Daughter group. These groups provide a wonderful bonding opportunity, allow your children to make new friends, and foster a sense of community among parents in the parish. Learn more.

Cub Scouts and BSA - All families are invited to learn more about Cub Scouts and BSA. Our local Cub Scout troop is open for enrollment throughout the year for boys and girls in Kindergarten - Grade 5. Join the first meeting on Thursday, September 4, at 6:15pm at Bethany Union Church. BSA Scout Troop 607 is open to boys ages 11-17 with the first meeting of the year on Wednesday, September 3, at 7:30pm at Bethany Union Church. Scouts America is working to find interested leaders and girls ages 11-17 to start a girls BSA Scout Troop. Learn more about the Scouts or contact school parent, Amy Ogrin at amyward4@gmail.com.

Games are Underway! Check out the athletic games calendar for Girls Basketball and BC Knights Football & Cheer schedules. Soccer schedule coming soon!

Preschool & Kindergarten Soccer - There is still time to register for Saturday morning soccer for Preschool and Kindergarten students. Please register by September 1 to join this fun program that aims to introduce our youngest Buckeyes to soccer and allow parents a chance to connect with other school families. Learn more and register.

Sports Physicals - for fall sport athletes are now past due. Please submit your forms by Monday if you haven't done so yet!

New Scoreboard - Many thanks to the Athletic Board, who coordinated the purchase of a much-needed new scoreboard for the gym!

Handbook Code of Conduct - As outlined in our Handbook, we want to ensure all students and their parents/guardians are familiar with our new Athletic and Extracurricular Activities Code of Conduct. To be eligible for athletics and activities, students may not have a class subject average of D+ or lower. Any student who receives three detentions within a trimester or a school suspension will also be ineligible to participate in extracurricular activities. Please review the Code of Conduct for complete details, including the warning period and length of ineligibility.

Auxiliary Group Leaders - Thank you to the parent leaders of our Auxiliary groups for representing at the Information Sunday Gym tables and New Parent Night. We appreciate you sharing your time, commitment, and voice in support of the school.

School Board - Many thanks to our School Board Members for smoothly and joyfully greeting all our school families at Information Sunday Check-in. On a day that is busy in your own household, we are so grateful to you for sharing your time with the entire community.

Student Helpers - Countless times last week, our Admin team said the words, "Kids for the Win!" We had a steady stream of 7th, 8th, and Alumni students helping us with some labor-intensive tasks - event set-up, uniform sorting, tidying classrooms and storage, laminating, and organizing. They completed each task with a smile and repeatedly asked, "How else can I help?". Truly living our Root Beliefs - thank you students!